Habs Daily: Reinbacher 5th Overall, Missed Opportunities, Price

All the latest Habs news, recent Montreal Canadiens stories, as well as information from around the National Hockey League.

Habs News

• The Montreal Canadiens did not make any trades despite all the rumours, however, several teams were reportedly interested in trading for the 5th overall pick. [Teams Enquired About 5th Overall Pick]
• Carey Price was in Nashville to participate in the Habs’ draft-day festivities. [Price In Nashville For Draft]
• The Canadiens decided that Austrian defenceman David Reinbacher, the consensus pick for the best defenceman in the 2023 Draft, was their guy with the 5th overall pick. [Canadiens Pick Reinbacher]
• Reinbacher projects to be a very good defenceman, but sometimes ‘safe’ choices are actually the riskiest option, especially if there’s elite talent available in the Draft. [Instant Analysis: Reinbacher a ‘safe’ choice]
• It’s worth noting that despite Reinbacher’s recent extension with Kloten in the NLA, the Swiss league does not hold players who have an opportunity to play elsewhere hostage. Reinbacher is reportedly intent on finishing his business degree, which is commendable, however, the Canadiens push him to play him in either the NHL or AHL. [Reinbacher Contract Options]

National Hockey Now Network

• The San Jose Sharks decided to pick talented forward Will Smith with the fourth overall pick. [San Jose]
• The Boston Bruins tried to acquire a first-round pick, but couldn’t find a deal that worked for them. [Boston Bruins]
• The Detroit Red Wings made a rather questionable choice with the ninth overall pick.[Detroit Red Wings]
• Joe Sakic took the second-round pick he received from the Habs in exchange for Newhook and immediately flipped it to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Ross Colton. [Colorado Avalanche]
• The Nashville Predators didn’t leave the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft without grabbing a defenseman. With Saskatoon Blades blue-liner Tanner Molendyk still on the board, the Predators snatched up the 18-year-old with the 24th overall pick. He’s the first defenseman Nashville has taken in the first round of a draft since Dante Fabbro in 2016.[Nashville Predators]
• The Philadelphia Flyers decided Matvei Michkov was simply too talented to ignore with the 7th overall pick. [Philadelphia Flyers]